Sisterly Approval
by dear-marauder
Summary: Lily and Petunia bring their boyfriends home for Christmas dinner. Neither one meets the other sister's approval.


A/N: I know, I owe people the next chapter of _City of Rings_. I'm just too busy with NaNoWriMo to finish the plotting that needs to be done. I'll get back to that and _Twilight Rewrite_ next month.

I'm not sure why, but I pictured Mr. Evans as the Muggle version of Mr. Weasley, dying to know about this fascinating new world.

I also can't picture Petunia ever actually being in love with Vernon.

Characters belong to JKR, bless her.

* * *

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans, that was wonderful." James Potter wiped his mouth with a napkin which he then tossed onto the table beside his plate. He absent-mindedly ruffled his already-mussed hair and leaned back in his chair so that the front legs lifted off the floor. "Are you certain you don't keep a house-elf?"

"Oh, stop it!" Mrs. Evans said, blushing. She waved his comment aside like she was batting at a fly. "You flatterer."

"Not at all!" James said earnestly. He leaned forward so that the chair hit the floor with a thump. "Best food I've had since Hogwarts."

"Now I know you're teasing me." She smiled. "You're a sweet boy."

Across the table, Lily rolled her eyes. He couldn't stop showing off, even now. Lily cut her eyes sideways as her father engaged James in a discussion about Quidditch, which he loved but couldn't quite manage to understand. Across the table, beside James, Petunia sat stiff and silent, a stoic, expression on her face. Lily knew she wasn't happy, and she knew that James was contributing to that. She'd asked him not to talk about wizarding things when Petunia was around, but James never did listen to anyone but Sirius.

Beside her, Vernon Dursley, Petunia's new boyfriend, was staring at James as if he'd suddenly come face-to-face with something horrible, like an acromantula. Vernon himself was no pretty picture. He had no neck to speak of, and his mustache made him look like a walrus. As she watched him stab at his roast, Lily was tempted to ask if he'd prefer a tin of sardines. Instead, she forced a smile onto her face and asked, "So Vernon, what do you do?"

Vernon looked from James to Lily with something that was probably meant to be enthusiasm, but looked much more like zealotry. "I work in the sales department at Grunnings. Do you know what Grunnings is?" he asked, the way he might ask a five-year-old if she knew where Africa was when she probably didn't.

"Yes," Lily said stiffly. "I know what Grunnings is."

"Brilliant! Then you know they're the best damned drill company in Britain. I'm only a junior sales executive, but I'm top of the heap, and if I keep up my performance I'll likely make senior by the end of next year."

"Congratulations, Vernon," said Mrs. Evans, who was making a point of ignoring the conversation about Quidditch. She felt the sport was too dangerous, and that those who played it were foolish. It was the only thing she didn't like about James.

"Thank you, Caroline." Mrs. Evans blanched a little at Vernon's familiar use of her name, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she stood and walked into the kitchen, leaving Lily to fend for herself. "I say," said Vernon, "listen to this deal I made today and then tell me you don't think I'll make senior executive by next year." And before Lily could protest, he launched into a detailed, step-by-step retelling of the event.

Five minutes later, Vernon was only getting to the part where his client had picked up the telephone, and Lily was immensely relieved when her mother said in a falsely bright voice, "Pudding?"

"Don't mind if I do!" cried Vernon, who reached out to help himself the moment Mrs. Evans had put the dish down. Even James was distracted from his Quidditch conversation by Vernon's . . . enthusiasm.

While Vernon was occupied, Mrs. Evans said to James, "How can your parents bear to spare you on Christmas?"

"We usually have a late breakfast after opening presents," said James. "That's our big Christmas meal. Besides, they've had me to themselves for eighteen years. They'll just have to learn to share." He glanced significantly at Lily's left hand, where a small diamond ring sat. Petunia, who apparently hadn't noticed it earlier, gasped.

"Lily, when?"

"James proposed last month, at Madame Puddifoot's, where we had our first date. It was rather sweet."

"And fortunately you hated me a lot less than you did the first time we went," James said with a chuckle.

"I had every right to hate you; you were a monster through most of school."

"Yes, well, I've mended my ways now," he said piously, which made Lily snort in disbelief.

"Don't believe a word of it; he's still as much trouble as ever."

"He's a good boy," said Mr. Evans as he clapped a hand on James' shoulder. "We wouldn't consent to Lily marrying anyone less worthy. You're welcome to come round at any time."

"I appreciate it. But sadly, I must go now."

"Oh, James, won't you at least stay for pudding?" asked Mrs. Evans in a disappointed tone.

"I'm sorry, I can't. My parents will worry if I'm out too late." He gave Lily a significant look, and she responded with the minutest of nods. She understood, even if her parents didn't, that James wanted to go home and reassure his parents he was still alive. More and more people were disappearing these days thanks to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. There was also the possibility that the Order of the Phoenix would need him for something before the night was out.

"If you see Sirius, tell him I say hello," said Lily. It was their code. What she really meant was, "Don't go on a mission with Sirius without telling me."

James nodded, indicating that he understood, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Supper was lovely," he said again, and walked toward the door.

"James, it's so wet and dreary out, couldn't you at least wait for me to call you a cab?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans, but that won't be necessary. I can't just –" He snapped his fingers.

"Oh, you can do that Disaparanting-thing, then?" said Mr. Evans in interest. "Lily's forever doing it to go between rooms, but she won't show me exactly how she does it."

"There's not much to show with Disapparating, really," said James. "You just concentrate on where you want to be, turn on your heel, and – " _CRACK!_

Petunia gasped, and Vernon jolted about six inches into the air, flinging bits of his pudding off his fork and onto Lily's jumper. She tried to hide her disgust as she wiped it away with her napkin.

"Did that bloke just –"

"He Disanapareded!" said Mr. Evans in delight. "It looks like such fun; I wish I could do it. What's it feel like, Lily?"

"Like being squeezed through a tiny hole."

Petunia looked at Lily in disgust. Vernon was still staring at the spot where James had disappeared. "But he disappeared! Like it was – "

"Magic, yes," said Lily impatiently. "James is a wizard."

Vernon whirled round to face her. "And you say _you_ –"

Quickly, before Vernon could continue his rant, Lily pulled her wand out of the sleeve of her jumper and pointed it at his forehead. "_Obliviate!_"

Petunia threw her napkin down on the table and, without a word, left her chair and stomped up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Petunia!" called Mrs. Evans, voice filled with both concern and disapproval. When Petunia didn't respond she turned to Vernon. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dursley. She's usually more polite."

Vernon waved his fork in the air, completely at ease now that Lily had altered his memory. "Oh, don't give it a thought. Sometimes she has these moods. She gets over it quick enough."

Lily frowned at that.

"Thank you for the meal," he said, "but I'm afraid I must be going now. Early day at the office tomorrow." He stood and went to the coat rack to retrieve his hat and jacket. "Lovely to meet you all." With that, he disappeared through the front door.

"But tomorrow is Boxing Day," Mr. Evans said with some confusion. "What sort of business is open on Boxing Day?"

"He seems very keen on his work," Mrs. Evans said. "I hope he doesn't use that as an excuse to neglect Petunia." She cast a worried eye up at the ceiling.

"I'll go up and talk to her," Lily said, her voice full of resignation.

~*~

Petunia paced the carpeted floor of her small bedroom. How dare she? How dare Lily bring that man here and flaunt him as if it was the most normal thing in the world? It was repulsive. Disgusting. Insensitive.

A knock sounded at her door, but she ignored it. The doorknob rattled for a few seconds, then she heard Lily's voice from the other side of the door. "Petunia, unlock this door or I'll do it with magic."

At that, Petunia sprang to the door and wrenched it open. "You'll not use that unnaturalness on my things," she said with a hiss.

Lily sighed and leaned against the doorway. "Look, Tuney, I'm sorry about James. I told him to play it cool, but he just doesn't know how to do that."

Petunia gave an angry sniff. "So, you're going to marry him, then?"

Lily smiled. "Yes."

Petunia stared at her younger sister. Despite everything that had happened, she still did care about what happened to Lily, even though she'd rather die than admit it to anyone. "Time was you hated James Potter," she snapped. "You and that Snape boy used to abuse James for hours during the summer, thinking up all sorts of hexes to cast on him when you got back to _that place_."

"Time was when I was best friends with Severus Snape," Lily said bitterly. "Times change."

"What happened?" asked Petunia, despite herself. She didn't want to talk about anything relating to Lily's world, but she'd been wondering for years why Lily and Snape were no longer friends. "You two were thick as thieves all through our childhood. Not that I approved, of course."

Emotions crossed Lily's face in such quick succession that Petunia couldn't read them. Finally Lily said, "He turned out to be the person I'd been hoping that he wasn't."

Petunia's voice softened as she asked, "Did you love him?"

"Not really. Not like that, anyway. Maybe if things had been different . . ."

Petunia narrowed her eyes. "Did you choose Potter to spite him?"

"Yes, at first. But he's a good man. Not always nice, but good. I love him."

She did. Petunia could tell by the smile on her face, by the way her eyes softened as she thought of James that Lily was truly in love with him. "I hope you'll be happy," she said, surprised that she actually meant it.

"What about you and Vernon?"

Petunia shrugged. "What do you think of him?"

Lily frowned. "How honest do you want me to be?"

Petunia shrugged again. She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure if she actually liked Vernon or not, and if she did she wasn't at all sure why. She just knew that Vernon was safe. Normal. From his reaction to James, it was obvious that there were no wizards in his family. A life with Vernon was a magic-free life, a life where she wasn't barred from the things she wanted most.

"He's dreadful," Lily said. "He's pompous, and self-absorbed, and Tuney, he's _old_."

"He's not _that_ old," Petunia snapped. "He's not quite thirty."

"And you're not quite twenty-one." She paused, then said, "If you really like him, Tuney, I'll try to like him too. I just think you could do so much better."

"Oh?" Petunia didn't want to be curious, but she just couldn't help herself.

"My friend Remus isn't seeing anyone, nor is Peter, though I think you'd like Remus better."

"Your friend Remus. Is he like you then?"

"Mostly," Lily said, a bit hesitantly Petunia thought.

"A wizard."

"Yes."

Petunia folded her arms and turned her back to Lily. "When I want you to set me up with someone, Lily Evans, I'll ask for it. I'm not quite so desperate as to have to resort to one of _your people_." She filled the last two words with as much disgust as she could possibly summon. In truth, Remus had seemed like a nice boy when she'd met him at King's Cross, but she'd never admit that to Lily.

"I didn't mean to suggest that you were desperate," Lily said.

Petunia could hear the hurt in her voice, but refused to acknowledge it. "I do like Vernon," she said. "I like him quite a lot." It was a lie, but if Lily couldn't see her face she'd never have to know. "I may even marry him."

"I hope you'll be happy with him, then," said Lily. "And I'll try to like him, for your sake."

Petunia didn't move until she heard Lily leave the room and shut the door behind her. Then she covered her face with her hands and sobbed.


End file.
